The Center for Disease Control and Department of Education broadly defined bullying as unwanted aggression between individuals with an imbalance of power, with repetitive acts intended to cause harm to the perceived “weaker” person/s. While the common perception is that only the victims end up getting negatively affected by bullying, an often overlooked part of bullying is what it does to the bullies and how they turn out later on. Various organizations and governments have taken steps and conducted studies on how to stop bullying, with some going as far as creating laws to counteract bullying. The Bullied It should go without saying that bullying is a terrible thing. A recent study by Yale University found a correlation between bullying and suicide. According to the study, victims of bullying were 2 to 9 times more likely to have suicidal thoughts. Statistics posted by ABC news stated that 160,000 children opt to stay home on a daily basis to avoid being bullied. The negative effects not only affect humans but plants and animals as well. IKEA showcased this in one of their ads by bullying a plant. After a month of hurling insults at the plant, it was shown that it had withered and was in worse shape than when the experiment began. It has been discovered that victims of bullying end up developing a multitude of mental disorders. Some prominent disorders are depression, anxiety, social isolation, low self-esteem, et cetera. The Bully Bullies may seem like they end up on top whenever they bully someone but the truth of the matter is that they themselves end up getting negatively...

Hypnotherapy is an alternative therapy that’s used to treat sleeplessness and related conditions, such as insomnia and parasomnias, which include sleepwalking and talking. Other conditions that hypnotherapy has proven to be beneficial in treating range from stress and anxiety through to chronic pain. For chronic pain, hypnotherapy is often used as a complementary treatment with mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). What’s Hypnotherapy? Hypnotherapy involves assisting the body in reaching a state of deep relaxation combined with focused attention. While people are awake during hypnotherapy, by transitioning into a deeply relaxed state they become less aware of the surroundings, as well as being less responsive to other stimuli. When Do You Use Hypnotherapy as a Treatment for Insomnia? Although hypnotherapy can be a useful treatment when trying to reduce or cure insomnia, sleeplessness and other sleeping problems that are a result of stress or anxiety, if the sleep condition has been caused by drugs or other diseases or biological conditions, it can prove ineffective. When insomnia or sleeplessness is related to stress or anxiety, the active “daytime” state involves the mind creating thoughts and images revolving around worry about future events that may arise, which becomes an obstacle to reaching a state of relaxation and sleep. Unfortunately, this often leads to tiredness performing daily routines, such as attending work. Another side effect of feeling tired during the day is the insomniac may start to develop anxiety about whether they’ll be able to get the rest they need that evening. When this occurs, clock watching and stressing about the number of hours left to rest can result. For the more...

1960s advertisements tried to convince us that smoking is sophisticated – and in some cases seriously macho. The myths surrounding this habit included that it was good for you and socially acceptable anywhere, even around young children. There were even ads specifically aimed at teenagers! How times have changed. And not just because medical science has uncovered the serious and even fatal health repercussions of smoking. Many now view smoking as socially unacceptable or at best irritating. How People React to Smokers These days, people are very quick to speak up if they feel that someone is “invading” their personal space, exposing them to secondary smoking or making them feel uncomfortable. When you’re smoking in public places or people’s homes, you will usually find that icy stares are the least of your problems. Non-smoking friends will introduce rules for when you visit their home, go on journeys in their car or take joint excursions. This could include sending you outside to smoke. Some may even feel embarrassed to request this, and simply not invite you anymore! When you quit smoking, you could well find a surge in your social engagements, receiving invitations that you hadn’t realised you were missing out on. Improved Appearance and Odour Even if you automatically gravitate to smoking areas to light up, the social indignities don’t end there. This is an era when society places a high value on how you look and smell. Having yellow fingers is bad enough, but yellow teeth are an absolute no-go. The cosmetics and oral hygiene industry make billions each year from people seeking a brighter, whiter smile. Smoking...

Addiction has many different faces and forms in our lives, from being unable to resist that extra bit of chocolate to the more serious and damaging addiction of illicit substances like marijuana. Many people are unable to quit their addiction by themselves, but it doesn’t make you weak to ask for help, as addiction is much more serious than just a bad habit. Addiction is a disease that affects an addict’s brain, psyche and body, manifesting itself through intense and extremely challenging cravings that both psychologically and physically affect an individual. Hypnosis for Addiction It has been proven that using hypnosis for addiction can help in treatment and recovery, especially when working alongside other rehabilitation treatments. During hypnosis, a deep sense of relaxation is created through shifts in consciousness, allowing for the patient to become highly suggestible and open to persuasion. This relaxed and suggestible state can help present people with a different internal perspective on their addictive behaviours. What had previously seemed impossible, like quitting a substance or challenging a behaviour, becomes achievable and desirable. These changed beliefs then help influence the patient after they have come out of the hypnotic trance, in turn helping them overcome addictions. This is the main reason that hypnosis appeals to addicts, as hypnosis can profoundly help people to strengthen their willpower and break free from their addictions. Treating Marijuana Addiction However, not all addictions are treated the same way, with some able to be helped in a single session, and others requiring more work and assistance from additional support programs. For many people, an addiction to smoking can be overcome in...

Sleeping is an opportunity for the body to relax and rejuvenate after a long day. The recommended hours are 7-9 hours of sleep every day. Many adults in Australia sleep less than six hours, which translates to 18 hours of being awake. This extended period of staying awake regularly has a severer impact on the body than binge drinking daily. The leading reason why adults decide to sleep less is to work more, but other adults have sleep insomnia which significantly contributes to their poor sleeping habits. Adults tend to assume that the more hours spent awake, the more productive you are. This assumption is far from the truth, as sleeping for six hours or less leads to poor health in the long run. The more hours you spend awake, the less productive you become. Dangers of Sleeping Six Hours or Less Research from Medisys, a Quebec based digital health company, shows that people who stay awake for 18 hours or more in a day are cognitively impaired during the last few hours of the day. By the 16th-18th hour, the brain is so tired that its decision-making process is close to that of a drunk person. This means the decisions made by a sleep-deprived person are as weak as those of a drunken person. Research also shows that people who drive late at night while tired pose a danger to themselves and to other road users due to the fact that they can easily get distracted or nod off, leading to an accident. Lack of sleep can cause other health problems like obesity, stress, depression, strokes and even...

Adolescence is one of the most complex and difficult journeys in life, and no more so is that true than for teenagers growing up in the digital age. Bullying is an unfortunately common and dangerous part of that journey for many, and for teen girls, there are a number of things that you need to keep in mind to navigate this part of your life successfully. Bullying Comes in Many Forms Teenage girls bully and abuse each other in a variety of ways. “Straightforward” bullying, like physical violence or name-calling, are of course horrible, but they aren’t as common among teen girls as they are for boys. Instead, girls more commonly practice a more subtle, insidious and social form of bullying, which involves a lot of talking, especially behind other’s backs. It can also be active (or absent-minded) exclusion, making the isolated girl(s) feel friendless or unwelcome. The truth is that hitting someone can hurt a lot less and be much less damaging than constant exclusion, undermining or the spreading of rumours. The wrong message about someone can spread virally, and becomes a part of that person’s social identity, whether it’s true or not. Think carefully about what you say, especially about your peers, as what you might consider harmless might be having a huge impact on someone else. Cyber-bullying is the New Normal Just because something isn’t said in person, but on the internet, doesn’t make it hurt less, or make it any less real. Sharing photos, sending messages or just not including people in the popular threads, are all common examples of cyber-bullying. With the advent of...